Attendance, Arrival, and Dismissal

  1. Student Attendance, Absences and Tardiness

    Students are to be at school by 7:50 a.m.  Students arriving after 9:00 a.m. report to the School Office for a late slip to enter class.  If a child is going to be absent, parents are to call the school office by 8:30 a.m. Office personnel will call parent(s) after 9:30 a.m. if they have not called the school.  A written note from a parent/guardian must be submitted to the school immediately upon a student’s return to school stating the reason for the child’s absence. A doctor’s note is required after 3 consecutive days of absence.  Parents/Guardians of students who are repeatedly late or absent from school will be contacted by the Principal and an improvement plan will be established.

    Students are Required to Make-up Missed Assignments.  When a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility, along with the parent, to contact the teacher to find out what work was missed and to determine an acceptable date to submit make-up work. All make-up work is to be completed within 5 days of returning to school.  If a student is absent for more than three (3) days, a parent or guardian must contact the teacher to make arrangements to obtain the student’s missed school work.

  2. Student Dismissal and Pick-Up

    Parents or adults picking up students are to remain outside the gates; standing outside their cars so they can be properly identified by the adult gate monitor(s).

    At 2:50 p.m. students in the After-School Program are escorted to The Common Place. All school bus students should report to the bus area, and wait with the monitor until their bus arrives. Kindergarten- 4th grade students will line up outside for dismissal; in inclimate weather they will line up in the entrance hall of Campolo Hall to wait for their parents.

    At 3:00 p.m. Middle School teachers escort their class outside to line-up in a designated area. Students being picked up will remain in line until their escort arrives, students on public transportation and walkers are dismissed and will leave the school yard.  

    At 3:15 p.m. the school yard is cleared and remaining students are to stay with their teacher. Upon arrival, parents are to go to the School Office where they will meet their child.  A $10.00 fee is assessed for every five minutes a parent/guardian is late picking up their child. (Students staying after school for tutoring are to be in their classroom by 3:15 p.m.)

    Students are not permitted to remain at school unless they are involved in an authorized after-school activity or program.  Students cannot wait in the school office or the yard at the end of the school day.   

    Early dismissal of a student requires that a note be submitted in the morning to the school office.  The student will be dismissed only when the parent signs out his/her child in the school office. Teachers can only release a child from class when authorized by the school office.  Parents should make every effort not to schedule music lessons or other activities during the school day. Ordinarily, early dismissals will not be given after 2:30 p.m. unless the parent has sent a note or contacted the office.

  3. Safety and Security

    There is no higher priority than school safety and security. We strive to maintain a safe place for students to learn and a secure environment for staff and teachers to work.  There are exterior and interior cameras monitoring the campus and facilities at all times. Buildings are on an alarm system so that the City of Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments are automatically notified. A doorbell must be rung to gain entrance into school buildings. Parents and visitors are required to report to the Main Office for a Visitor’s Pass when they are on campus. All faculty and staff are required to direct parents and visitors to the Main Office to obtain a visitor’s pass. Teachers are instructed to never open a classroom door to parents nor visitors without a pass and to report sightings to the office of any strangers on campus.

  4. Safety in the Parking Lot

    Parents/Guardians dropping off and/or picking up children are to park on the street so the parking lot is safe for student arrival and dismissal.  Cars are not permitted to enter through the Kingsessing Avenue gate after 7:00 a.m. on school days. The 58th Street gate is closed between 7:40 and 8:20 a.m. and from 2:30 to3:15 p.m. on school days. No driving is permitted in the parking lot while children are present.

  5. School Closings and Early Dismissals

    Weather-Related School Closing or Delay: The decision to close or delay the opening of school due to inclement weather is made by the Principal.  Every effort will be made to inform families by 6:00 a.m. using the Parent Alert System, as well as airing information on local radio and television stations.  Cornerstone’s School Code is 1016. NOTE: When Philadelphia Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather, Cornerstone will also be closed.

    Weather-Related Early Dismissal: The decision to dismiss students early from school due to inclement weather is made by the Principal.  Every effort will be made to announce this decision by 11:00 a.m. or by 1:00 p.m. if the school will close before the regular dismissal time.  In the event of an early dismissal, parents will receive a telephone call and text message from the Parent Alert System. Early dismissals will also be announced on radio and television stations.  Cornerstone’s school code is 1016.

    Facility-Related Closing or Early Dismissal: The decision to close the school or dismiss students early due to problems related to heating, air conditioning, plumbing, vandalism, etc. will be made by the Principal.  The same procedures will be followed for weather-related closings and early-dismissals.

  6. Bus Transportation

    Cornerstone does not provide or engage services for bus transportation to or from school.  Students living in Philadelphia County beyond 1.5 miles of CCA and attending grades 1 – 6 are provided transportation by the School District of Philadelphia.  Philadelphia County students in 7th and 8th grades who live beyond 1.5 miles from the school will receive a Trans-pass for public transportation.  Students who live in surrounding counties are eligible for bus transportation services from their school districts.  Questions about bus routes, stops, and other information should be directed to Vernette Johnson in the school office.

  7. Before- and After-School Programs

    Before School care is available at 6:45 a.m. in the school Learning Commons.  No enrollment is required and there is no fee for this service.

    Cornerstone collaborates with The Common Place to provide After School care.  The Common Place Scholars After-School Program requires enrollment. The program is professionally staffed to provide educational support and enrichment for children in K to 8th grade between the hours of 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as other times when school is not in session. Students enjoy a healthy snack, recreation, homework help, art, music, dance, cooking and more.  The cost of the program is $65.00 per week or $13.00 per day.